The Good Samaritan

A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him for dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite [temple assistant], when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.

But a certain Samaritan [a people despised and shunned by the Jews of those days], as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him, bandaged his wounds, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two silver coins, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.

Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. Barbara de Angelis

The Rich Fool

But God said to him, You fool! Tonight you will die. Then who will get what you have stored up? Jesus then told the people, This is how it will be for whoever hoards wealth for himself but is not rich toward God. Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions."

The Prodigal Son

After he had spent everything, a famine spread through that whole land. Soon the son had nothing to eat. He went to work for a man in that country, and the man sent him out to take care of his pigs. He was so hungry that he would have been glad to eat what the pigs were eating. Finally, the younger son came to his senses. He said, I will go home to my father and tell him, Father, I have sinned against God and you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me one of your servants. The son then left and went back home to his father.

However, when he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt sorry for him. He ran to his son and hugged and kissed him. The father said to the servants, Hurry and bring the best clothes and put them on him. Give him a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. Get the best calf and prepare it, so we can eat and celebrate. This son of mine was dead, but has now come back to life. He was lost and has now been found. And they began to celebrate.

God loves you. He's loved you from the very beginning and He'll love you to the end.

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Art by Alvi, Danielle Adair and Zondervan . All stories from The Bible; explanations/story moral courtesy Motivated Magazine.